Three Miami Dolphins kneel on field during national anthem, reversing field

Miami Dolphins players kneel during the national anthem before an NFL game at Wembley Stadium on October 1, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins Michael Thomas, Kenny Stills and Julius Thomas took a knee during the national anthem before Sunday night’s game, going against a policy the organization had set last month.

Those three players had been sitting out the national anthem by staying in the locker room prior to games.

They went to Dolphins coach Adam Gase and explained that they could not be themselves and that it interfered with their pregame preparation, according to a league source.

While Gase would prefer that they stand, he respected their right to express themselves and relaxed the team rule, according to the league source.